OCT is a known technique for non invasive cross-sectional imaging in biological systems. OCT uses coherence interferometry to produce a two-dimensional image of optical scattering from internal tissue micro structures in a way that is analogue to ultra sonic pulse-echo imaging.
In coherence reflectrometry, the coherence property of light reflected from a sample provides information on the time-of-flight delay from the reflective boundaries and back scattering sites in the sample. The delay information is then used to determine the longitudinal location of the reflection sites. The OCT system performs multiple longitudinal scans at a series of lateral locations to provide a two-dimensional map of reflection sites in the sample. Corresponding OCT systems are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,827 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,920 and J. Biomed. Opt. 4(1), 157-173 (1996).
A common disadvantage of prior art OCT systems is that a high lateral resolution is inevitably associated with a strong decrease in available scanning depth. The present invention therefore aims to provide an improved method for optical coherence tomography and a corresponding computer program product and arrangement for optical coherence tomography.